In vehicles such as pick-up trucks, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), and vans, the security of the user's belongings is often an issue. In pickup trucks, the truck bed is generally exposed, and items cannot safely be left in this area without fear of theft. Often the only other option for this type of vehicle is to put items into the cab.
Security is however not much better in the cab of pickup trucks. This area is generally surrounded by windows and users may be unable to hide items from view. Similarly, SUVs and vans have windows that expose the entire inner area of the vehicle, including the cargo area, to outside observers. It is therefore easy for potential thieves to see what is inside the vehicle.
Several inventions have attempted to overcome this problem. U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,011 to Grossman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,669 to Waters and U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,330 to Bonstead et al. all teach boxes that can be affixed to the cargo area of pickup trucks.
The main problem with these inventions is that they consume a significant amount of the cargo space of the vehicle. Thus, in situations when the entire cargo area is needed, these inventions need to be removed from the vehicle. This can be both cumbersome and logistically a problem if the user is not in a location at which the box can be stored safely.
One attempt to overcome this problem is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,264 to Wilson. Wilson teaches a fold-down box and permanently attached cargo liner. In this patent, the box can be folded down to expose the entire cargo area.
The Wilson patent also has a number of shortcomings. This patent is not easily adapted to SUVs and vans, since there is a permanent cargo liner as part of the invention. In SUVs and vans it is undesirable to have a permanent cargo liner, since seating is often provided in the cargo area. However, it would be desirable to have this type of liner to protect the flooring or carpet in these types of vehicles when moving cargo.
A second problem with the Wilson invention is that it requires modifications to the actual cargo area of the pickup truck. This is an expensive after-market addition that would make it undesirable to some users.